Prescription compatibility checking for a medical device

ABSTRACT

A medical treatment machine, such as a home dialysis machine, can receive prescription parameters that define parameters of a medical treatment to be administered to a patient. A medical prescription is entered by a clinician into a clinical information system (CIS) that calls a system to evaluate the compatibility of the entered prescription by transmitting the prescription parameters to a server that has access to a database of medical devices and their operational parameters. The server compares the treatment parameters of the medical prescription to the operational parameters of the medical device and generates a prescription compatibility response indicting if the treatment parameters of the medical prescription can be executed by the medical device. The server returns to the CIS the prescription compatibility response to allow the prescription, e.g. in a digital or program form, to be securely transmitted or delivered via a connected health system to the medical device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of and claims the benefitof priority under 35 U.S.C. 121 to U.S. application Ser. No. 15/650,320,filed on Jul. 14, 2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to distributing medical prescriptions andconfirming the prescription's compatibility with a medical deviceconfigured to administer the medical prescription.

BACKGROUND

Medical treatment machines can be designed to aid in the diagnosis,monitoring, and/or treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Oneexample of a medical treatment machine is a dialysis machine. Dialysisis a treatment used to support a patient with insufficient renalfunction. The two principal dialysis methods are hemodialysis andperitoneal dialysis. During hemodialysis (“HD”), the patient's blood ispassed through a dialyzer of the dialysis machine while also passing adialysis solution or dialysate through the dialyzer. A semi-permeablemembrane in the dialyzer separates the blood from the dialysate withinthe dialyzer and allows diffusion and osmosis exchanges to take placebetween the dialysate and the blood stream. These exchanges across themembrane result in the removal of waste products, including solutes likeurea and creatinine, from the blood. These exchanges also regulate thelevels of other substances, such as sodium and water, in the blood. Inthis way, the dialysis machine acts as an artificial kidney forcleansing the blood.

During peritoneal dialysis (“PD”), the patient's peritoneal cavity isperiodically infused with dialysate. The membranous lining of thepatient's peritoneum acts as a natural semi-permeable membrane thatallows diffusion and osmosis exchanges to take place between thesolution and the blood stream. These exchanges across the patient'speritoneum result in the removal of waste products, including soluteslike urea and creatinine, from the blood, and regulate the levels ofother substances, such as sodium and water, in the blood.

Automated PD machines called PD cyclers are designed to control theentire PD process so that it can be performed at home usually overnightwithout clinical staff in attendance. This process is termed continuouscycler-assisted PD (“CCPD”). Many PD cyclers are designed toautomatically infuse, dwell, and drain dialysate to and from thepatient's peritoneal cavity. The treatment typically lasts for severalhours, often beginning with an initial drain cycle to empty theperitoneal cavity of used or spent dialysate. The sequence then proceedsthrough the succession of fill, dwell, and drain phases that follow oneafter the other. Each phase is called a cycle.

SUMMARY

An example of the present disclosure is a method of determiningcompatibility between a medical prescription and a remote home medicaldevice. The method includes receiving, using a computer processor of aserver, patient data from a clinical information system via theInternet. The patient data includes an identification of a patient, andprescription parameters including treatment parameters for use inconducting a medical procedure according to a medical prescription on apatient using the home medical device. The method includes accessing,using the computer processor of the server, a database containingoperational parameters of a plurality of medical devices, includingoperational parameters of the home medical device, performing acompatibility check, using the computer processor of the server, of theprescription parameters of the patient's medical prescription to theoperational parameters of the patient's home medical device from thedatabase. The method includes generating, using the computer processorof the server, based on the compatibility check, a prescriptioncompatibility response indicting if the prescription parameters of themedical prescription are able to be executed by the patient's homemedical device in order to conduct the medical procedure, and providing,using the computer processor of the server, the prescriptioncompatibility response via the Internet to the clinical informationsystem.

In some examples, the medical device is a peritoneal dialysis machine.In some examples, the medical device is a hemodialysis machine.

In some examples, the patient data includes patient treatmentlimitations. In some examples, generating the prescription compatibilityresponse includes determining if the prescription parameters of themedical prescription are able to be executed by the patient's homemedical device in order to conduct the medical procedure within thepatient treatment limitations.

In some examples, where the patient data includes an identification ofthe patient's home medical device for use in conducting the medicalprocedure. In some examples, the database containing operationalparameters of the plurality of medical devices, includes the operationalparameters of the patient's home medical device identified in thereceived patient data. In some examples, the database containingoperational parameters of the plurality of medical devices, includes aplurality of identifications of medical devices associated with acorresponding plurality of patients including an identification of amedical device associated with the received patient information, themethod further includes confirming, using the computer processor of theserver, based on the received patient identification, the identificationof the patient's medical device at the patient's home based on theidentification of the medical device associated with the receivedpatient information in the database.

In some examples, generating the prescription compatibility responsebased on the comparing is further based on the confirming. In someexamples, the patient data includes patient treatment limitations, andthe method further includes calculating, using the computer processor ofthe server, a simulated outcome of the medical procedure based on thereceived patient medical prescription and the operational parameters ofthe patient medical device, and the generating the prescriptioncompatibility response includes determining if the simulated outcome ofthe medical procedure satisfies one or more of: the medicalprescription, the patient treatment limitations, and the operationalparameters of the medical device.

In some examples, prescription compatibility response indicates if thereceived medical prescription is comparable or not compatible with thepatient and if the received medical prescription is comparable or notcompatible with patient's medical device.

In some examples, the method includes accepting, using the computerprocessor of the server, the received patient prescription based on theprescription compatibility response.

In some examples, the method includes sending, using the computerprocessor of the server, the accepted medical prescription via theInternet to the medical device in the patient's home for use inconducting the medical procedure according to the accepted medicalprescription.

In some examples, the method includes sending, using the computerprocessor of the server, the accepted medical prescription via theInternet to a patient's email address for use in conducting the medicalprocedure according to the accepted medical prescription.

In some examples, the method includes denying, using the computerprocessor of the server, the received patient prescription based onprescription compatibility response.

In some examples, the method includes sending, using the computerprocessor of the server, information regarding the denied medicalprescription via the Internet to the clinical information system.

In some examples, the method includes providing, using the computerprocessor of the server, a prescription compatibility feedback via theInternet to the clinical information system, the prescriptioncompatibility feedback including results of the comparing.

In some examples, the method includes providing, using the computerprocessor of the server, and based on the prescription compatibilityresponse, a signal via the Internet to the clinical information systemfor use in enabling a user of a terminal of the clinical informationsystem to download the received medical prescription onto a removablephysical storage device interfaced with the terminal, the removablephysical storage device being configured to transfer the medicalprescription to the medical device in the patient's home for use inconducting the medical procedure.

In some examples, performing the compatibility check further includesperforming a calculation on the treatment parameters to a determine aleast one characteristic of the medical treatment and comparing a resultof the calculation to the operational parameters of the medical devicefrom the database.

In some examples, the operation parameters of the medical devices in thedatabase includes capacity limits and wherein the at least onecharacteristic identified from the calculation on the treatmentparameters includes determining a total fluid delivery of the medicaltreatment, and wherein comparing the treatment parameters of the medicalprescription to the operational parameters of the medical apparatusfurther includes comparing the total fluid delivery to the capacitylimits of the medical device from the database.

In some examples, the clinical information system includes a healthcarecomputer network, independent from the server system, including at leastone server configured to maintain and store patient health records, anda plurality of user terminals configured to provide point-of-care accessto the patient health records by medical professionals.

Another example of the present disclosure is connected health systemincluding a cloud-based application that facilitates data transferbetween components of the system via the Internet, a remote medicaldevice, wherein the medical device is configured to receive data fromthe cloud-based application, a database containing operationalparameters of a plurality of medical devices, including the operationalparameters of the remote medical device, a clinical information systemconfigured to receive prescription parameters from a clinician, and acomputer server. The computer server includes a processor configured to(i) receive, from a clinical information system, a digital prescriptionfile comprising prescription parameters for use in conducting a medicalprocedure on a patient using the remote medical device, (ii) identifyoperational parameters of the remote medical device from the database,(iii) perform a compatibility check of the prescription parameters ofthe digital prescription file to the operational parameters of theremote medical device, (iv) generate, based on the compatibility check,a prescription compatibility response indicting if the prescriptionparameters are able to be executed by the remote medical device in orderto conduct the medical procedure, (v) provide the prescriptioncompatibility response to the clinical information system, (iv) transmitthe digital prescription file to the remote medical device.

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the subject matter includedherein will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from theclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a peritoneal dialysis machineconnected to a network.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration showing an example of a connectedhealth system (CHS) including infrastructure and servicing process flowsfor distributing digital prescriptions and checking prescriptioncompatibility according to the system described herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing an a more detailed view of animplementation of the CHS for provisioning digital prescriptions to amedical device.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a hemodialysis machine connectedto a network.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example medical device computer system.

FIG. 6 illustrates examples of a digital prescription file and adatabase entry for a medical device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a system for checking the compatibility of a digitalprescription file with a patient's home medical device.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example technique for verifying the compatibilityof a digital prescription file and delivering the digital prescriptionfile to the patient's home medical device.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example technique for checking the compatibilityof a digital prescription file.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein is a system and included techniques for checkingcompatibility of a medical prescription to the operational capabilitiesof a remote medical device (e.g. a home dialysis machine) of a patient.The system described herein facilitates entry by a clinician or doctorof a medical prescription into a clinical information system (CIS),which is a system in the clinical setting that stores the electronichealth records (EHR) used a clinician, doctor, clinic and/or hospital tomanage treatment of a patient, and enables the CIS to provide thedigital prescription parameters to a remote server and/or service of aconnected health system (CHS). The remote server and/or service providesa confirmation to the CIS that the digital prescription is compatiblewith a patient's medical device for conducting the treatment specifiedin the prescription. The term “Unity” may be used herein to refergenerally to an implementation of the remote server and/or servicecapabilities for the prescription compatibility checking systemdescribed herein. The technique also enables the CIS, once theprescription has been indicated as compatible, to download the digitalprescription onto a removable storage device to physically deliver thedigital prescription to the patient's medical device or, alternatively,to instruct the CHS server conducting the compatibility check to sendthe prescription directly to the patient's medical device via a networkor Internet-based transmission.

In some implementations, the term “digital prescription file” may beunderstood to include and refer to a set of programming instructionsthat may be used to carry out a medical treatment that has beenmedically prescribed by an appropriate doctor or other medicalpractitioner. In some implementations, the term “prescription” may beunderstood to refer to the medical treatment that the doctor actuallyprescribes to the patient and may be represented as prescriptionparameters in the patient's electronic health record (EHR). Thisprescription (e.g. prescription parameters) may be appropriatelytranslated, formatted, encrypted and/or otherwise converted into thedigital prescription file that contains the program and/or instructionsets for the medical device (e.g., the dialysis machine) to carry outthe prescribed medical treatment.

Within the clinical setting, workflow integration into existing clinicalsystems has significant value through reducing the work steps to beperformed by both the clinician and physician (reduction in multipleentry of information). To facilitate an efficient workflow when managingprescriptions intended for, for example, home dialysis machines (HDM),examples of the present disclosure describe processes to allow a clinicto create and manage the HDM prescription within their own clinicalinformation system (CIS). In one example, this is accomplished byleveraging a web based compatibility check service that allows theclinician to know the entered prescription is safe and compatible withthe intended HDM and patient. The clinician enters the prescription,according to a provided specification, into their clinical informationsystem (CIS). Upon entry, the CIS will call a prescription compatibilityservice, which passes the required attributes for the compatibilityservice to make the determination if the prescription entered will passthe checks. Subsequently, the service returns a pass/fail response withthe feedback to guide the clinician to next steps. If the prescriptionpassed the compatibility check, then the clinician is free to save theprescription in the CIS for delivery to the patient's HDM. If theprescription fails, the compatibility check then the clinician isprovided feedback on the failures so the clinician may make furtheradjustments to the prescription to bring it within compatibility limits.

In order to bring this approach into practical context, some exampleimplications and user experience are as follows:

In some instances, generation of the prescription is entirely theclinician's responsibility. The prescription entered by the clinicianmay be transmitted as prescription parameters from the user interface,through an API, to the Unity system and thereafter securely, as adigital prescription file, through the Connected Health System to thetarget HDM. The API makes no changes to the prescription parameters.

In some instances, examples the systems and techniques described hereinmake no assessment of the clinical efficacy of the prescription.

In some instances, examples the systems and techniques described hereinshall check the prescription for compatibility with the target HDM. Thismeans that the prescription shall be checked to ensure that it can beperformed within the bounds of the target HDM. As an example, if theclinician requests in the prescription that the patient be treated witha volume of fluid which exceeds the capacity of the target HDM candeliver, the prescription would not be compatible with the target HDM.

In some instances, examples the systems and techniques described hereinperform calculations on the data that has been entered in theprescription in order to determine if any target machine bounds havebeen exceeded.

In some instances, a patient parameter check is combined with theprescription compatibility checks. In this event, the following workflowapplies: A user enters patient parameter information via a referencesystem user interface in the CIS and the CIS makes a request to theserver to perform a compatibility check. The server interfaces the CHSto verify that the service provider is an authorized user of theclinic's terminal and CHS. Subsequently, the CIS makes a request toperform a compatibility check. Patient parameter data is sent through anapplication program interface (API) to a compatibility check serviceapplication running on the remote server. In some instances, this checkis specific to a given HDM. A notification is returned if the patientparameter data passes the patient parameter check. The patient parameterdata may be saved to the patient's EHR within the CIS. If the patientparameter compatibility check fails an error status is returned. Whensending a patient parameter data to the CHS cloud (that may be alsoreferred to herein as Reciprocity) or the flash drive, it shall beincluded in the header of the prescription parameter file. As furtherdiscussed elsewhere herein, Reciprocity may generate a digitalprescription file by appropriately processing and encrypting theprescription parameter file for purposes of facilitating securetransmission of the prescription to the home medical device.

In another embodiment, if the compatibility check passes, theconfirmation be returned to the clinician that may include a summary ofthe prescription parameters that have been entered through the userinterface

If the compatibility check fails, an error message is returned to theclinician indicating the likely cause and which limits have beenexceeded. As an example, a message might be returned such as “The fillvolume for round 2 of the cycler mode must be within the range 250 mL to1800 mL, please check the values you have entered in the prescription.”

In some instances, the target HDM may perform compatibility checks priorto execution of the prescription treatment. A compatible prescriptionfile may be stored in internal memory of the target HDM so thattreatment can be performed. Thus, when creating a new prescription orupdating an existing prescription, Unity aims to identify anyprescriptions that would be incompatible with the target HDM to avoidpoor user experience and workflow difficulties in the home.

A medical treatment machine such as a dialysis machine (e.g., a homedialysis machine [HDM]) can be configured to receive a digitalprescription file that defines parameters of a medical treatment (e.g.,a dialysis treatment) to be administered to a patient. The digitalprescription file can be prepared and delivered in such a way that themedical treatment machine can confirm that the issuer of the digitalprescription file is an authorized issuer. For example, the digitalprescription file may be digitally signed by the issuer of theprescription. The signed digital prescription file is delivered to themedical treatment machine via a secured or unsecured medium. In additionto being digitally signed by the issuer, the digital prescription filecan be encrypted. Upon receipt of the encrypted digital prescriptionfile, the medical treatment machine can decrypt the digital prescriptionfile. For further discussion of various implementations for securelydistributing prescription files within a connected health system,references is made to U.S. application Ser. No. 15/497,529 filed Apr.26, 2017, entitled “Securely Distributing Medical Prescriptions,” whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some implementations, the medical treatment machine may be aperitoneal dialysis machine. FIG. 1 shows an example of a PD system 100that is configured to receive a digital prescription file. In someimplementations, the PD system 100 is configured for use at a patient'shome (e.g., a home PD system). The PD system 100 includes a PD machine102 (also referred to as a PD cycler) seated on a cart 104. The PDmachine 102 includes a housing 106, a door 108, and a cassette interfacethat contacts a disposable PD cassette when the cassette is disposedwithin a cassette compartment formed between the cassette interface andthe closed door 108. A heater tray 116 is positioned on top of thehousing 106. The heater tray 116 is sized and shaped to accommodate abag of dialysate (e.g., a 5-liter bag of dialysate). The PD machine 102also includes a user interface such as a touch screen 118 and controlpanel 120 that can be operated by a user (e.g., a caregiver or apatient) to allow, for example, set up, initiation, and/or terminationof a PD treatment.

Dialysate bags 122 are suspended from fingers on the sides of the cart104, and a heater bag 124 is positioned in the heater tray 116. Thedialysate bags 122 and the heater bag 124 are connected to the cassettevia dialysate bag lines 126 and a heater bag line 128, respectively. Thedialysate bag lines 126 can be used to pass dialysate from dialysatebags 122 to the cassette during use, and the heater bag line 128 can beused to pass dialysate back and forth between the cassette and theheater bag 124 during use. In addition, a patient line 130 and a drainline 132 are connected to the cassette. The patient line 130 can beconnected to a patient's abdomen via a catheter and can be used to passdialysate back and forth between the cassette and the patient'speritoneal cavity during use. The drain line 132 can be connected to adrain or drain receptacle and can be used to pass dialysate from thecassette to the drain or drain receptacle during use.

The touch screen 118 and the control panel 120 allow an operator toinput various treatment parameters to the PD machine 102 and tootherwise control the PD machine 102. In addition, the touch screen 118servers as a display. The touch screen 118 functions to provideinformation to the patient and the operator of the PD system 100. Forexample, the touch screen 118 may display information related to adialysis treatment to be applied to the patient, including informationrelated to a prescription, as described in more detail below.

The PD machine 102 includes a processing module 101 that resides insidethe PD machine 102 and which is configured to communicate with the touchscreen 118 and the control panel 120. The processing module 101 isconfigured to receive data from the touch screen 118 and the controlpanel 120 and control the PD machine 102 based on the received data. Forexample, the processing module 101 can adjust the operating parametersof the PD machine 102. In some implementations, the processing module101 is an MPC823 PowerPC device manufactured by Motorola, Inc.

The PD machine 102 is configured to connect to a network 110. The PDmachine 102 includes a transceiver 112 that is configured to facilitatethe connection to the network 110. Other medical devices (e.g., otherdialysis machines) may be configured to connect to the network 110 andcommunicate with the PD machine 102. Similarly, one or more remoteentities, such as issuers of digital prescription files may be able toconnect to the network 110 and communicate with the PD machine 102 inorder to provide digital prescriptions for implementing on the PDmachine 102.

In some implementations, a medical device 102 (e.g., the PD machine 102of FIG. 1 and/or the HD machine 402 of FIG. 4) is configured tocommunicate with a connected health system (e.g., via the network 110 ofFIG. 1 and/or the network 422 of FIG. 4).

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration showing an example of a connectedhealth system (CHS) 200 system that can include, among other things, acompatibility checking system 205, a CH cloud service 210 and a CHGateway 220. The prescription compatibility checking system 205, animplementation of which may also be referred to herein as Unity,performs prescription compatibility checking services as discussed indetail herein. The CH cloud service 210, an implementation of which mayalso be referred to herein as Reciprocity, may be a cloud-basedapplication that serves as a communication pipeline (e.g., facilitatesthe transfer of data) among components of the CHS service 200. The CHGateway 220 may serve as a communication device (e.g., a standardcommunication device) among dialysis machines that are part of the CHSservice 200. The CH Gateway 220 is in communication with the medicaldevice 102 and the CH cloud service 210 and is configured to receivedata from the CH cloud service 210 and provide the data to the medicaldevice 102. In some examples, the digital prescription file is encryptedand then uploaded to the CH cloud service 210. In some implementations,prescription parameters of the digital prescription file (e.g. as aprescription parameters file) may be initially transmitted and checkedfor compatibility and/or otherwise processed by the prescriptioncompatibility checking system 205 that may be part of the system or CISof the provider 204 and/or provided by an Internet or cloud-based systembefore being uploaded to the CH cloud service 210. In someimplementations, the prescription parameters file may be securelyencrypted and transmitted between the CIS and Unity in a similar manneras provided for distribution of the digital prescription file. Themedical device 102 may poll the CH cloud service 210 for available files(e.g., via the CH Gateway 220), and the medical device 102 maytemporarily store available files for processing. In situations in whichmultiple digital prescription files are available on the CH cloudservice 210, the medical device 102 may identify and implement newerdigital prescription files (e.g., based on a date associated with thedigital prescription file). Such date identification can allow themedical device 102 to implement up-to-date prescriptions (e.g., the mostup-to-date prescriptions) associated with the particular patient. Thepatient may then follow a patient confirmation process to accept thedigital prescription file before the prescription data is programmedinto the medical device 102 for implementation.

In some implementations, the CH cloud service 210 may include acomponent that acts as a proxy for performing digital signatureoperations. For example, the CIS of the provider 204 may communicatewith the CH cloud service 210 to authenticate itself. The communicationbetween the medical device 102 and the CH cloud service 210 and/or theCIS of the provider 204 may be secured according to one or morecryptographic protocols. For example, Transport Layer Security (“TLS”)may be employed to provide communications security over the network 110,422. In some implementations, TLS employs encryption according to one ormore standards, such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (“AES”). Insome implementations, other data besides the digital prescription filemay be exchanged among the components of the CHS service 200, includingtreatment data and/or device maintenance data transmitted between themedical device 102 and the CIS of the provider 204.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing an example of a connectedhealth system (CHS) provisioning digital prescriptions to a medicaldevice 102 from a provider 204. FIG. 3 illustrates the provider 204(i.e., a provider clinic) where a clinician 301 interacts (indicated byarrows 302) with a computer terminal 303 that is connected to a clinicalinformation system (CIS) 304. The CIS 304 is connected via the internetto the connected health service 210, which is a cloud-based systemincluding a web service computer server 311 containing a processor forconducting prescription compatibility operations (described in moredetail herein) and an Internet of Things (IoT) cloud platform 312configured to distribute digital prescriptions and configuration filesto remote medical devices, such as an in-home medical device 102. TheCIS 304 is also connected to a health information exchange 305coordinating an electronic exchange of digital health care informationbetween different providers 204 and the CIS 304.

FIG. 3 shows the IoT cloud platform 312 able to connect to the medicaldevice 102 in different ways (as indicated by “1”, “2”, and “3”). In afirst example connection method, the IoT cloud platform 312 of theconnected health service 210 utilizes an existing cellular network 316to broadcast data to an internet gateway 317 local to the medical device102 and connected to the medical device 102 by, for example, a Bluetoothconnection. In the second and third examples, the IoT cloud platform 312sends data via the internet to the medical device 102 connected to theInternet either by a wireless device 318 or a wired connection 319.

In operation, the clinician 301 enters a medical prescription onto thecomputer terminal 303 for a given patient 390 for use in conducting amedical procedure with the medical device 102. With the medicalprescription entered into the computer terminal 303, the prescriptioninformation is passed into the provider's 204 own CIS 304 system, whereit is submitted to the web service computer server 311 of the CH cloudservice 210. The web service server 311 determines if the submittedmedical prescription is compatible with the patient's medical device102, as further discussed in detail herein, and returns an indication tothe provider's 204 computer terminal 303 that informs the clinician 301if the entreated medical prescription is compatible with the patient's390 medical device 102. If the medical prescription is not compatible,in some instances, the CHS provides information to the computer terminal303 to information the clinician 301 what aspect of the medicalprescription was incompatible and why. In some instances, upon receivingconfirmation that the medical prescription is compatible with themedical device 102, the clinician 301 instructs the CH cloud service 210to send the medical prescription to the patient's medical device 102. Insome instances, upon receiving confirmation that the medicalprescription is compatible with the medical device 102, the clinician301 manually configures the medical device 102 via a graphical userinterface (GUI) 306. In other instances, upon receiving confirmationthat the medical prescription is compatible with the medical device 102,the clinician 301 downloads the medical prescription and a configurationfile for operating the medical device onto on a portable external devicesuch as a flash drive 399 or other transportable storage medium. Theflash drive 399 can be given to the patient 390 at the provider 204(i.e., clinic) for the patient 390 or the patient's care partner to loadthe configuration file onto the medical device 102 directly (asindicated by arrow 391).

While certain implementations have been described, other implementationsare possible.

While the medical device (e.g. a dialysis machine) has been described ascommunicating with remote entities through the network, in someimplementations, the dialysis machine is configured to communicatedirectly with remote entities. For example, the transceiver may beconfigured to facilitate a direct connection between the dialysismachine and a remote entity, such as an issuer of a digital prescriptionfile and/or a certificate authority.

While the systems and techniques described herein have been largelydescribed with reference to a dialysis machine, and in particular, a PDmachine, other types of medical treatment systems and/or machines mayalso use the systems and techniques to transmit digital prescriptionfiles and verify the compatibility of the digital prescription fileswith the patient's medical device. Examples of other medical treatmentsystems that may employ the techniques described herein includehemofiltration systems, hemodiafiltration systems, apheresis systems,cardiopulmonary bypass systems, and hemodialysis (“HD”) systems. In someimplementations, the medical treatment system (e.g., medical device 102)is a dialysis machine configured for use at a patient's home (e.g., ahome dialysis machine (“HDM”)). The HDM can take the form of a home PDmachine or a home hemodialysis (“HD”) machine.

FIG. 4 shows an HD system 400 that is configured to receive a digitalprescription file in a manner similar to that described above. In someimplementations, the HD system 400 is configured for use at a patient'shome (e.g., a home HD system). The HD system 400 includes an HD machine402 to which a disposable blood component set 404 that forms a bloodcircuit is connected. During hemodialysis, arterial and venous patientlines 406, 408 of the blood component set 404 are connected to a patientand blood is circulated through various blood lines and components,including a dialyzer 410, of the blood component set 404. At the sametime, dialysate is circulated through a dialysate circuit formed by thedialyzer 410 and various other dialysate components and dialysate linesconnected to the HD machine 402. Many of these dialysate components anddialysate lines are located inside the housing 403 of the HD machine402, and are thus not visible in FIG. 4. The dialysate passes throughthe dialyzer 410 along with the blood. The blood and dialysate passingthrough the dialyzer 410 are separated from one another by asemi-permeable structure (e.g., a semi-permeable membrane and/orsemi-permeable microtubes) of the dialyzer 410. As a result of thisarrangement, toxins are removed from the patient's blood and collectedin the dialysate. The filtered blood exiting the dialyzer 410 isreturned to the patient. The dialysate that exits the dialyzer 410includes toxins removed from the blood and is commonly referred to as“spent dialysate.” The spent dialysate is routed from the dialyzer 410to a drain.

One of the components of the blood component set 404 is an air releasedevice 412. The air release device 412 includes a self-sealing ventassembly that allows air to pass through while inhibiting (e.g.,preventing) liquid from passing through. As a result, if blood passingthrough the blood circuit during treatment contains air, the air will bevented to atmosphere as the blood passes through the air release device412.

As shown in FIG. 4, a dialysate container 424 is connected to the HDmachine 402 via a dialysate supply line 426. A drain line 1428 and anultrafiltration line 429 also extend from the HD machine 402. Thedialysate supply line 426, the drain line 428, and the ultrafiltrationline 429 are fluidly connected to the various dialysate components anddialysate lines inside the housing 403 of the HD machine 402 that formpart of the dialysate circuit. During hemodialysis, the dialysate supplyline 426 carries fresh dialysate from the dialysate container 424 to theportion of the dialysate circuit located inside the HD machine 402. Asnoted above, the fresh dialysate is circulated through various dialysatelines and dialysate components, including the dialyzer 410, that formthe dialysate circuit. As the dialysate passes through the dialyzer 410,it collects toxins from the patient's blood. The resulting spentdialysate is carried from the dialysate circuit to a drain via the drainline 428. When ultrafiltration is performed during treatment, acombination of the spent dialysate and excess fluid drawn from thepatient is carried to the drain via the ultrafiltration line 429.

The blood component set 404 is secured to a module 430 attached to thefront of the HD machine 402. The module 430 includes a blood pump 432capable of driving blood through the blood circuit. The module 430 alsoincludes various other instruments capable of monitoring the bloodflowing through the blood circuit. The module 430 includes a door thatwhen closed, as shown in FIG. 4, cooperates with the front face of themodule 430 to form a compartment sized and shaped to receive the bloodcomponent set 404. In the closed position, the door presses certainblood components of the blood component set 404 against correspondinginstruments exposed on the front face of the module 430. Such anarrangement facilitates control of the flow of blood through the bloodcircuit and monitoring of the blood flowing through the blood circuit.

The blood pump 432 can be controlled by a blood pump module 434. Theblood pump module 434 includes a display window, a start/stop key, an upkey, a down key, a level adjust key, and an arterial pressure port. Thedisplay window displays the blood flow rate setting during blood pumpoperation. The start/stop key starts and stops the blood pump 432. Theup and down keys increase and decrease the speed of the blood pump 432.The level adjust key raises a level of fluid in an arterial dripchamber.

A drug pump 492 also extends from the front of the HD machine 402. Thedrug pump 492 is a syringe pump that includes a clamping mechanismconfigured to retain a syringe 478 of the blood component set 404. Thedrug pump 492 also includes a stepper motor configured to move theplunger of the syringe 478 along the axis of the syringe 478. A shaft ofthe stepper motor is secured to the plunger in a manner such that whenthe stepper motor is operated in a first direction, the shaft forces theplunger into the syringe 478, and when operated in a second direction,the shaft pulls the plunger out of the syringe 478. The drug pump 492can thus be used to inject a liquid drug (e.g., heparin) from thesyringe 478 into the blood circuit via a drug delivery line 474 duringuse, or to draw liquid from the blood circuit into the syringe 478 viathe drug delivery line 474 during use.

The HD machine 402 includes a touch screen 418 and a control panel 420.The touch screen 418 and the control panel 420 allow an operator toinput various treatment parameters to the HD machine 402 and tootherwise control the HD machine 402. In addition, the touch screen 418serves as a display. The touch screen 418 functions to provideinformation to the patient and the operator of the HD system 400. Forexample, the touch screen 418 may display information related to adialysis treatment to be applied to the patient, including informationrelated to a prescription, as described above. The HD machine 402includes a processing module 401 that resides inside the machine andwhich is configured to communicate with the touch screen 418 and thecontrol panel 420. The processing module 401 is configured to receivedata from the touch screen 418 and the control panel 420 and control theHD machine 402 based on the received data. For example, the processingmodule 401 can adjust the operating parameters of the HD machine 402.

The HD machine 402 is configured to connect to a network 422. The HDmachine 402 includes a transceiver 405 that is configured to facilitatethe connection to the network 422. Other medical devices (e.g., otherdialysis machines) may be configured to connect to the network 422 andcommunicate with the HD machine 402. Similarly, one or more remoteentities, such as issuers of digital prescription files may be able toconnect to the network 422 and communicate with the HD machine 402 inorder to provide digital prescriptions for implementing on the HDmachine 402, as described above.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example computer system 500. Forexample, referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the processing modules 101, 401could be examples of the system 500 described here. The system 500includes a processor 510, a memory 520, a storage device 530, and aninput/output device 540. Each of the components 510, 520, 530, and 540can be interconnected, for example, using a system bus 550. Theprocessor 510 is capable of processing instructions for execution withinthe system 500. The processor 510 can be a single-threaded processor, amulti-threaded processor, or similar device. The processor 510 iscapable of processing instructions stored in the memory 520 or on thestorage device 530. The processor 510 may execute operations such ascausing the dialysis system to carry out functions related to a dialysistreatment according to a prescription received in a digital prescriptionfile.

The memory 520 stores information within the system 500. In someimplementations, the memory 520 is a computer-readable medium. Thememory 520 can, for example, be a volatile memory unit or a non-volatilememory unit. In some implementations, the memory 520 stores informationrelated to patients' identities.

The storage device 530 is capable of providing mass storage for thesystem 500. In some implementations, the storage device 530 is anon-transitory computer-readable medium. The storage device 530 caninclude, for example, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, asolid-date drive, a flash drive, magnetic tape, or some other largecapacity storage device. The storage device 530 may alternatively be acloud storage device, e.g., a logical storage device including multiplephysical storage devices distributed on a network and accessed using anetwork. In some implementations, the information stored on the memory520 can also or instead be stored on the storage device 530.

The input/output device 540 provides input/output operations for thesystem 500. In some implementations, the input/output device 540includes one or more of network interface devices (e.g., an Ethernetcard), a serial communication device (e.g., an RS-232 10 port), and/or awireless interface device (e.g., a short-range wireless communicationdevice, an 802.11 card, a 3G wireless modem, or a 4G wireless modem). Insome implementations, the input/output device 540 includes driverdevices configured to receive input data and send output data to otherinput/output devices, e.g., a keyboard, a printer, and display devices(such as the touch screen 118, 418). In some implementations, mobilecomputing devices, mobile communication devices, and other devices areused.

In some implementations, the system 500 is a microcontroller. Amicrocontroller is a device that contains multiple elements of acomputer system in a single electronics package. For example, the singleelectronics package could contain the processor 510, the memory 520, thestorage device 530, and input/output devices 540.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative examples of a prescription parameters file 600representing a prescription written by a clinician for a patient and adatabase entry 610 for a medical device 102 (e.g., dialysis machine 102of FIG. 1). Where the reference “102” is used generally to refer to amedical device 102.

The prescription parameters file 600 can include treatment parameters602, which in some implementations can be in plaintext format. In someinstances, the medical device 102 is a dialysis system and theprescription is usable by the dialysis system 100 to perform a dialysistreatment. The prescription parameters file 600 can include patientidentification 601 such as a Patient ID, a serial number (e.g.,identification 603) of a cycler (e.g., medical device 102) to be used,information related to a date and time at which the cycler was assignedto the patient, an ID associated with the patient's provider (e.g.,issuer), an ID associated with the patient's clinic, the patient's firstand last name, a minimum peritoneal volume of the patient, and a maximumperitoneal volume of the patient. In some implementations, theprescription parameters file 600 can contain multiple sets of treatmentparameters 602 (e.g., six prescriptions) for the patient. Theprescription parameters file 600 can include a date/time stampidentifying a time at which each prescription was created and/orassigned to the patient.

The prescription parameters file 600 also includes attributes related toeach prescription. For example, the prescription may have attributesrelated to a prescription sequence ID, a prescription ID, a name (e.g.,to be displayed on the medical device 102), a type for a disposable lineset to be used when providing the treatment (e.g., “low feature,”“medium feature,” “high feature”), a quality of a catheter to be usedwhen providing the treatment (e.g., “slow,” “average,” “fast”), a flowrate to be used during the fill phase of a cycle, a flow rate to be usedduring the drain phase of a cycle, and a requested time at which thetreatment is to end.

Within the parameters of a prescription, a patient 390 can have one ormore rounds of treatment. Each round can have one cycle or multiplerepeating cycles. Repeating cycles within a particular round may havethe same settings. In some implementations, the prescription parametersfile 600 includes attributes related to the particular prescriptionround and/or cycle, such as a prescription round ID (e.g., giving theposition of the round in the treatment sequence), a number of cyclesincluded in a particular round, a cycle type code (e.g., “cycler,”“manual,” “PD+,” “last fill”), a requested fill volume for each cycle inthe round, a requested dwell time for each cycle in the round, anexpected ultrafiltration volume for each cycle in the round, a drainmode (e.g., “standard,” “complete”), and a requested drain volume foreach cycle in the round. In some implementations, the prescriptionparameters file 600 also includes attributes related to a type of bagprescribed for a particular treatment.

The database entry 610 can include operational parameters 611 of thespecific medical device having an identification 603 in the databaseentry 610. The operational parameters 611 can include, for example,minimum and maximum operational rates for various device operations,such as blood flow, dialysate flow, drug delivery rates (e.g. heparin,dextrose), and ultra-filtrate flow rates.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a serious of operations executed by aprescription compatibility checking system 205 (FIG. 2) for checking thecompatibility of a medical prescription with a patient's 390 homemedical device 102 (FIG. 1). In a first step, the prescriptioncompatibility system 205 (FIG. 2) receives 710 prescription parametersof a medical prescription e.g., a prescription parameters file 600) froma CIS 304 (FIG. 3), which can include a patient identification 601 (FIG.6) and treatment parameters 602 (FIG. 6) for use in performing a medicalprocedure on the patient 390 (FIG. 3) using a medical device 102 (FIG.1). Next, the prescription compatibility checking system 205 (FIG. 2)accesses 720 a database on a server 311 (FIG. 3) containing theoperational parameters 611 (FIG. 6) of a plurality of medical devices,including the medical device 102 (FIG. 1) to be used on the patient 390(FIG. 3). The prescription compatibility checking system 205 performsthe compatibility check 730 on the treatment parameters 602 from thepatient's prescription parameters file 600 to the operational parameters611 (FIG. 6) of the patient's medical device 102 in the database. Basedon the comparison, the prescription compatibility checking system 205(FIG. 2) generates 740 a prescription compatibility response thatindicates if the treatment parameters 602 of the prescription 600 areable to be executed by the patient's medical device 102. Finally, theCHS 210 provides the prescription compatibility response to the CIS 304in order for a clinician 301 to approve transmission or delivery of theprescription 600 to the medical device 102.

In some instances, the prescription parameters file 600 comprises anidentification 603 of the patient's medical device for use in conductingthe medical procedure. In some instances, the database containingoperational parameters of the plurality of medical devices, includes aplurality of identifications of medical devices associated with acorresponding plurality of patients including an identification of amedical device associated with the received patient information. And theCH cloud service 210 confirms, based on the received patientidentification 601, the identification 603 of the patient's medicaldevice at the patient's home based on the identification of the medicaldevice 102 associated with the received patient information in thedatabase.

In some instances, the CHS 210 calculates a simulated outcome of themedical procedure based on the received patient medical prescription ofthe prescription parameters file 600 and the operational parameters 611of the patient medical device 102. In this instance, generating 740 theprescription compatibility response includes determining if thesimulated outcome of the medical procedure satisfies one or more of: theprescription parameters file 600, the patient treatment limitations, andthe operational parameters 611 of the medical device 102.

In some instances, upon instruction from the clinician 301, and after areceived prescription parameters file 600 is indicated as compatible,the CH cloud service 210 transmits the medical prescription via theInternet 205 to the medical device 102 (as detailed above in FIG. 3).

In some instances, the CH cloud service 210 sends the prescriptionparameters file 600 via the Internet 205 to the patient's 390 emailaddress to allow the patient 390 to manually load the prescriptionparameters file 600 into the medical device 102.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example technique for verifying the compatibilityof a digital prescription file and delivering the digital prescriptionfile to the patient's home medical device. In FIG. 8, a CIS 304communicates via the Internet with a computer server 311 of a CHS 201(FIG. 2) in order to check the compatibility of a prescriptionparameters file 600 created to use in conducting a medical procedureusing a medical device 102 configured to receive a digital medicalprescription. In operation, a clinician 301 (FIG. 3) inputs a patientprescription 814 via a computer terminal 303 (FIG. 3) connected to theCIS, where the input patient prescription 814 includes treatmentparameters 602 for conducting the medical procedure with the patient'smedical device 102. The CIS may already include a patient data file 811which stores certain basic information regarding the patient 390 (FIG.3), for example, any treatment limitations 812 and/or an identification813 of the specific medical device 102 (e.g. the HDM at the patient'shome) for use in conducting the medical procedure on the patient 390.With a new patient prescription 814 entered into the computer terminal303, the CIS generates a prescription parameters file 600 and providesthe prescription parameters file 600 to the computer server 311. Thecomputer server 311 includes a processor 839 and has access to adatabase 831 of medical devices storing the operational parameters 611of the medical devices in the database 831. In some implementations, thedatabase 831 is stored on the computer server 311 whereas in otherimplementations the computer server 311 may access the database 831remotely. First, the process receives the prescription parameters file600 representing the patient prescription 814 with treatment parameters602 that includes the identification 813 of the patient's medical deviceand retrieves the operational parameters 611 of the patient's medicaldevice 102 from the database 831 of medical devices.

Next, the processor 839 compares the operational parameters 611 of thepatient's medical device 102 to the treatment parameters 602 in thereceived patient prescription 814 from the prescription parameters file600 and determines if the treatment parameters 602 are compatible withthe medical device 102 according to the operational parameters 611 inthe database 831. In some instances, the processor determines if valuesof specific treatment parameters 602 are within ranges specified by theoperational parameters 611 of the specific medical device 102. In someinstances, the computer server 311 also receives patient treatmentlimitations 812 from the CIS 304. In some instances, the processor 839uses the patient prescription 814 to calculate an outcome of the medicaltreatment procedure specified by the treatment parameters 602 andcompares the treatment outcome to one or both of the treatmentlimitations 812 and the operational parameters 611 to determine if thepatient prescription 814 is compatible with the medical device 102 andthe patient 390. If the computer server 311 determines that the patientprescription 814 is compatible with the patient's medical device 102, asdescribed above, then the computer server 311 provides a prescriptioncompatibility response 822 to the CIS 304. In some instances, theprescription compatibility response 822 is a binary indication ofwhether or not the treatment parameters of the prescription parametersfile 600 can be conducted within the operational parameters 611 of themedical device 102. In some instances, the prescription compatibilityresponse 822 includes specific confirmations for each value provided inthe treatment parameters 602 of the patient prescription 814. If thecomputer server 311 determines that the patient prescription 814 is notcompatible with either the patient 390 or the patient's medical device102, the prescription compatibility response 822 provided to the CIS304, in some instances, indicates which values of the patientprescription 814 were determined to be incompatible with the patient 390or the patient's medical device 102.

Once the CIS 304 has received the prescription compatibility response822 from the computer server 311, the CIS relays the prescriptioncompatibility response 822 (or some general indication) to the computerterminal 303 where the clinician 301 is then able to instruct the CIS toprovide a prescription transmission authorization 823 to the computerserver 311 in order to instruct the computer server 311 to transmit thepatient prescription 814 to the patient's medical device 102 (asdescribed above in FIG. 3). In operation, after determining appropriatecompatibility, the computer server 311 may transmit the prescriptionparameters file 600 to the connected health system, as further discussedelsewhere herein, that generates a digital prescription file 840 basedon the received prescription parameters 600. In some instances, thedigital prescription file 840 may be a set of computer-readableinstructions for programming the patient's medical device 102 to conductthe medical treatment specified by the patient prescription 814. In someinstances, the digital prescription file 840 is securely transmitted viathe CHS cloud to the HDM as an encrypted data file, which, in someinstances, also contains the patient prescription 814 in order todisplay the patient prescription 814 on a display of the patient'smedical device 102. In some instances, when the CIS 304 receives aprescription compatibility response 822, the clinician 301 may send aprescription transmission authorization 823 which instructs the computerserver 311 to receive the digital prescription file 840 from theconnected health system in order for the clinician to download thedigital prescription file 840 onto, for example, a flash drive 399 (FIG.3), which enables the clinician 301 to provide a physical copy of thedigital prescription file 840 to the patient 390 in order for thepatient 390 to manually load the digital prescription file 840 ontotheir medical device 102.

File Processing

The file processing described below assumes that the system is suppliedwith prescription parameter files from the CIS with certificatesincluded. If it is decided that the data passed from CIS is in a formatthat cannot be consumed by the target HDM, the file processing serviceshall play a role in creating the required files in an appropriateformat. Furthermore, Unity may need to write certificates to a file.

The user issues an instruction through the CIS to send prescriptionparameter files to Unity which calls the CHS to verify that the serviceprovider is an authorized user of Unity and/or CHS. The prescriptionparameter files are retrieved from the system record and sent throughthe secure connection and are passed through the compatibility checks.All individual prescriptions that are contained in the prescription setare checked. If the prescription parameter file compatibility checkspass, the file processing service may make a request to the CHS cloud(e.g. Reciprocity) to encrypt and sign the respective files to generatea digital prescription file. If encryption and signature process issuccessful, CHS issues a version ID for the files. The CHS may check thevalidity of certificates, e.g. trusted source, expiry date etc. CHS(Reciprocity) may store files on its cloud ready for download to thegateway or USB drive. In the process of sending files to the CHS(Reciprocity) cloud, there may be the option to save the files to USBdrive. A request shall be made by the client to pull the latest ‘programsettings file’ from CHS (Reciprocity). The calls the CHS to verify thatthe service provider is an authorized user of Unity and CHS. The usershall insert an approved USB drive. The clinic's workstation writes the‘configuration file’ and the ‘Prescription file’ to the USB drive. Aconfirmation is supplied to the user if the ‘configuration file’ and the‘Prescription files’ are written successfully to the USB drive.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example technique for checking the compatibilityof a digital prescription file. FIG. 9 shows a diagram 900 of theoperational elements of aspects of the present disclosure. A userinterface 901 is provided on the computer terminal 303 in the clinic ofthe provider 204, and enables a patient prescription 814 to be createdor entered into the CIS 304. Data entry in the user interface 901enables the user to enter or retrieve program settings from thepatient's electronic health record. Additionally, the user interface 901of the computer terminal 303 can operate as a viewer 902 to display aconfirmation to the clinician 301 of an indication that a providedpatient prescription 814 is compatible with the patient's medical device102, or to display one or more error codes if the computer server 311determines that the patient prescription 814 is not compatible with thepatient's medical device 102. The viewer 902 enables display ofconfirmation or error code messages, and translates any error code intoan appropriate message so that the user made rectify the error. The CIS304 provides the patient prescription 814 to a computer server 311 ofthe CH cloud service 210, as described above. On the computer server311, a service application 920 that may, in some instances, interfacewith an API 911 on the computer terminal 303 in order to receives thepatient prescription 814. The API 911 exposes services through which theclient may submit program setting data and control how the compatibilitychecks are invoked. The processor 839 of the computer server 311executes a prescription compatibility check model 920.

The prescription compatibility check model 920 includes a data inputcheck 921, a compatibility calculation 923, a compatibility logicalcheck 925, and a response generator 930. The data input check 921applies to all variables passed through the API 911 which include datatype, format, range, default values, allowable values, resolution andunits of measure. For example, a particular variable may be ameasurement of weight expressed in grams as an integer and with a rangefrom 10,000 to 250,000. The HDM compatibility calculation 923 implementsequations involving one or more variables that determine, for example,the total volume of fluid applied to a patient in a treatment or thetime required to deliver a treatment from specific program settingssupplied. The HDM compatibility logical checks 925, in some instances,check that the output of a calculation is below a threshold (e.g.treatment time <24 hours), or involve some combinatorial logic (e.g. ifflow rate >100 mL/Min & Option 1 has been selected then calculated timefor a treatment segment <1 hour). The confirmation/exception responsegenerator 930 returns 931 a confirmation to the user if allcompatibility checks pass successfully. If any compatibility checksfail, an exception response is generated containing an error codeenabling the source of the error to be identified.

Although an example processing system has been described above,implementations of the subject matter and the functional operationsdescribed above can be implemented in other types of digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementationsof the subject matter described in this specification can be implementedas one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier, forexample a computer-readable medium, for execution by, or to control theoperation of, a processing system. The computer readable medium can be amachine readable storage device, a machine readable storage substrate, amemory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine readablepropagated signal, or a combination of one or more of them.

The term “computer system” may encompass all apparatus, devices, andmachines for processing data, including by way of example a programmableprocessor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. A processingsystem can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates anexecution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., codethat constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, or a combination of one or moreof them.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, executable logic, or code) can be written in anyform of programming language, including compiled or interpretedlanguages, or declarative or procedural languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

Computer readable media suitable for storing computer programinstructions and data include all forms of non-volatile or volatilememory, media and memory devices, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks ormagnetic tapes; magneto optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Theprocessor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry. The components of the system can beinterconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication,e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication networksinclude a local area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”),e.g., the Internet.

A number of implementations of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connected health system comprising: acloud-based application that facilitates data transfer betweencomponents of the system via the Internet; a remote medical device,wherein the remote medical device is configured to receive data from thecloud-based application; a database containing operational parameters ofa plurality of medical devices, including the operational parameters ofthe remote medical device; a clinical information system configured toreceive prescription parameters from a clinician; a computer servercomprising a processor configured for: receiving, from a clinicalinformation system, a digital prescription file comprising prescriptionparameters for use in conducting a medical procedure on a patient usingthe remote medical device; identifying operational parameters of theremote medical device from the database; preforming a compatibilitycheck of the prescription parameters of the digital prescription file tothe operational parameters of the remote medical device; generating,based on the compatibility check, a prescription compatibility responseindicting if the prescription parameters are able to be executed by theremote medical device in order to conduct the medical procedure;providing the prescription compatibility response to the clinicalinformation system; and transmitting the digital prescription file tothe remote medical device.